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[HEADLINES]

[TALENT=Melanie]

(////SOT////)
[11;04:08]
[in=]
((MAYOR CAMPBELL: I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS EATING AT THE HEART AND SOUL OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DO DAMAGE TO THEMESELVES AND TAKE OTHERS WITH THEM))
[runs=:05]
[out=others with them]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]
[11;01:00]
Atlanta workers return to work the day after a deadly massacre at brokerage offices.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

And its a war over words over water.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Kimberly]
[SS=None]

With the exception of some scattered thunderstorms pushing through far southwest Virginia, the sun is shining across the region and the mercury is rising.
Expect afternoon highs in the 90s....with heat indices making it feel over 100.
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]

News 7 at noon is next.

[Atlanta-Shooting]

Police investigating the Atlanta shootings that left 12 people dead are releasing details of the notes left behind by the gunman.
The 44-year-old father, investor and former murder suspect sped away after the shooting spree, driving to a suburb where he killed himself.
Investigators also say he killed his wife and two children.
Lisa Hughes is in Atlanta with the latest.
[Live=Hughes Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=01-Lisa Hughes/Reporting;]
[SUPER=05-Atlanta, GA;]
( ad lib)
[***ROLLED FROM NEWSPATH***]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Atlanta, GA; :00]
[SUPER=01-Jimmy Mercer/Henry Co. Police Chief; ]
[SUPER=04-1993;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=]

[Live=Hughes Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=05-Atlanta, GA;]
( ad lib)
(((LOCATOR: ATLANTA, GA)
A BOUQUET OF SPRING FLOWERS LEFT BY A PASSERBY..ONE OF THE FEW VISIBLE
REMINDERS OUTSIDE THE SITE OF YESTERDAY'S DEADLY SHOOTING.
THIS MORNING, POLICE REVEALED THE CONTENTS OF THE SUICIDE LETTERS LEFT
BY AN OBVIOUSLY DISTURBED MARK BARTON, WHO WALKED INTO TWO ATLANTA
OFFICE BUILDINGS AND OPENED FIRE WITH A GUN IN EACH HAND.
(SOT, CHIEF JIMMY MERCER, HENRY COUNTY POLICE, ..."TO KILL THE PEOPLE
WHO GREEDILY SOUGHT MY DESTRUCTION", ETC.)

POLICE SAY BARTON ALSO MURDERED HIS WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN BEFORE
COMMITTING ONE OF THE WORST WORKPLACE MASSACRES IN THE NATION'S HISTORY.
HE SPOKE OF THEM IN THE LETTERS AS WELL.
(SOT, MERCER AGAIN, PARAPHRASED, KILLED THEM TO SPARE THEM PAIN LATER IN
LIFE)
IN THE LETTER BARTON SAID THE WAY HE KILLED HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN WAS
SIMILAR TO THE MURDERS OF HIS
(SUPER: 1993)

FIRST WIFE AND MOTHER IN LAW BACK IN 1993, BUT HE SPECIFICALLY DENIED
KILLING THEM.
BARTON WAS A DAY-TRADER, A VERY RISKY WAY OF INVESTING IN THE STOCK
MARKET, BUT AUTHORITIES SAY HE HAD NOT MADE ANY RECENT TRADES AT THE
BROKERAGE WHERE HE KILLED FIVE PEOPLE. HE KILLED FOUR OTHERS AT A
BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET.
(NATZ)
THE TWO OFFICE BUILDINGS WHERE THE SHOOTINGS TOOK PLACE WERE OPEN AGAIN
TODAY AS RETURNING WORKERS STRUGGLED TO COPE WITH THE TRAGEDY.
(SOT, WORKER,)))

[County-Water]

Roanoke's water crisis is producing a war of words between Roanoke City and Roanoke County.
(------------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Carvins Cove]

As the water level at Carvins Cove has dropped to record lows, and the city has called for mandatory conservation, the county has moved to maximize connections between the two water systems.
But even as water flows from the Spring Hollow Reservoir, county officials have been frustrated with the city's response, what some perceive as an unwillingness to negotiate regional water issues.
In a July 28th letter, Supervisors Chairman Bob Johnson said the county isn't interested in merely trading water... He called that a short term band aid on a more serious problem: the necessity to address the overall water supply needs of the Roanoke Valley.
But last night, Acting City Manager Jim Ritchie responded with his own statement... which says the county's demands are unreasonable, and in effect are holding the city hostage during a drought.
(------------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]

The county has set an August 20th deadline for changes to the current water agreement.
But the city is balking at the rate the county wants to charge for water purchases.... and argues that the county is taking unfair advantage of the city's water shortage.

[81-Safety]

Since July of 19-98, 20 people have been killed on the Interstate 81.
Now the Virginia Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles and State Police are coming up with some new ideas to make 81 safer.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Botetourt Co./File Tape; ]

One short term solution: V-DOT plans to warn motorists of weather and traffic conditions by putting up message boards, and telling them on the radio.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=We think if]
((WE THINK IF WE CAN GET INFORMATION TO THE DRIVER WHILE HE'S IN THE CAR THIS WILL HELP THEM MAKE DECISIONS AND IT WILL MAKE THEIR TRIP SAFER, MAYBE QUICKER))
[SUPER=01-Fred Altizer, Jr./VDOT]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=maybe quicker]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

V-DOT will also change some of the guard rails to keep vehicles headed in the right direction.
And starting in the fall - safety service vehicles will be on the roads to help motorists in trouble.
But the long term goal is to widen I-81 to five lanes in both directions.
V-DOT says this could take up to eight years to finish.
(------------)

[President-Balkans]

President Clinton has offered a U-S aid package worth nearly 700 Million dollars for post-war reconstruction in the Balkans.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Sarajevo, Bosnia;]
[10:10:16]
The President is in Sarajevo, at a summit to launch a long-term international efort to bring peace and prosperity to the region.
Mr. Clinton is proposing a five-point plan to get the Balkans back on its feet economically and politically.
He note the improvements already in Sarajevo following the four year civil war.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[10;18:50-10:19;06]
[IN Q=IF YOU REMEMBER WHEN...]
[RUNS=:16]
[OUT Q=TWO YEARS AGO.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

The President says the job of rebuilding the Balkans won't be done until there's a new regime in Belgrade.
(------------)

[Tax-vote]

President Clinton has denounced it as large and risky for the economy and promises a veto.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Washington DC;]
[YESTERDAY'S 4-NEWSPATH 4:14:29]
But it still looks like the Senate will pass a 792 BILLION dollar tax cut plan when a final vote is held today.
The G-O-P package includes tax breaks for families, education, and retirement accounts.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[7:17;38]
[IN Q=]
((SEN. PETE DOMENICI, R-NM; SO FOR THOSE WHO'VE COME TO THE FLOOR AND SAY THERE'S NO MONEY THERE'S 505-BILLION DOLLARS OVER THE NEXT DECADE))
[SUPER=01-Sen. Pete Domenici/(R) New Mexico;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=over the next decade.]
(------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=HOLD]

Talks aimed at reconciling the House and Senate versions are likely to begin this weekend.
And Republican leaders hope for a final vote on the package next week before members of Congress head home for the August recess.
[tease1]
[HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

The investigation into General Josiah Bunting's spending is turned over to State Police.
That's just one of the stories still ahead on News-7 at Noon.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]

And imagine becomming parents to ten children-- in one day.
That's what an Arizona couple did.
That story when we return but first, let's talk to Kimberly McBroom.
(---------------)
[Talent=Kimberly]
[Wx-Tease]
[Weatherpro]
So far, today has proven to be less eventful, weatherwise than yesterday...
There is a line of strong thunderstorms pushing out of West Virginia...now moving into North Carolina.
But the heat is what's on most people's minds...let's check out the heat indices across the region...
[music up full]
[comm1]

[multiple-Adoption]

They say their friends think they're crazy.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Mesa, AZ;]
[7:16:31]
In one day Van and Shirley Hughes became the proud parents of 10 children.
They phoenix-area couple officially adopted six boys and four girls.
They range in age four to 17 and are one of the largest groups of siblings ever adopted together.
Police say the Hughes found the ten children four years ago, fending fo themselves when their mother abandoned them.
(///////sot//////)
[IN=]
[FROM YESTERDAY'S 10 NEWSPATH 10:10;04]
((FRANK LOPEZ SAYS, "HERE I GOT A FAMILY, I KNOW THEY CARE A LOT-I GOT A PLACE TO LIVE NOW--I'M BLESSED--BASICALLY ANGELS SENT DOWN FROM HEAVEN."))
[SUPER=01-Frank Lopez/Adopted Son;]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT=sent down from heaven.]
(----------)
[vo-nat]
The hughes are both fifty two and already have two grown children.
(------------)

[E-Dead-Cats]

The Salem couple whose home was littered with cats now face criminal charges.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Salem/Wednesday]
[99-24 at 1:04:21]
Michael and Cheryl Boyd each face two counts of cruelty to animals and one count of owning too many cats at one location.
50 sick cats were destroyed.
Another 20 were found dead in the freezer.
Two others were decomposing under the Boyds' furniture.
If they're convicted, the Boyds could be fined more than five-thousand dollars each AND sent to jail for as long as two years.
(------------)

[E-Halifax-Planner]

A Halifax County planner went out to investigate a citizen complaint and found himself arrested.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Halifax Co.;]

Planning Director Jerry Lovelace has been charged with trespassing by a local hog farmer.
Lovelace says he was on Scott Hudson's Red Bank farm to check out an earlier odor complaint.
Hudson told authorities the visit was without his permission.
Lovelace and his boss, Halifax County Administrator Dan Sleeper, say the planner has the authority to make inspections under state zoning laws.
(------------)

[E-VMI-Bunting]

State Police are reviewing a report on the Superintendent at Virginia Military Institute.
The State Auditor turned the case over to the Criminal Investigations Bureau a week ago.
Keith Humphry has more on General Josiah Bunting's use of discretionary funds.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=The report scrutnizes]
[SUPER=03-Lexington; :00 ]
[SUPER=01-Col. Mike Strickler/VMI Spokesman; :22]
[SUPER=@keith2; :50]
[RUNS=1:01]
[OUT Q=Humphry, NEWS 7.]

(( The report scrutinizes a 100-thousand dollar account- -money that comes from private sources, such as the V-M-I Foundation.
[NAT SOT @ 13:13:15]
((HERE HE'S PURCHASING HATS AS GIFTS.))
[RUNS :02]
Records in the business office show General Bunting used the fund to buy personal gifts, flowers, even a retirement party- -none of which fall within state regulations.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=While the account]
((WHILE THE ACCOUNT IS NOT FUNDED WITH TAX DOLLARS, IT IS STILL SUBJECT TO STATE PURCHASING GUIDELINES.))
[RUNS 07]
[OUT Q=purchasing guidelines.]

V-M-I financial officers point out this is just one of hundreds of accounts that make up the Institute's 39 and a half million dollar annual budget.
A $35,000 renovation of the Superintendent's office has received a lot of attention in one account of Bunting's spending habits, along with a 400-thousand dollar face-lift for the Superintendent's living quarters. But none of that came out of the Superintendent's discretionary account.
Bunting is not on Post this week. He's at his permanent home in Newport, Rhode Island.
Keith Humphry, NEWS 7.))

[E-Lalik]

A Roanoke elementary school principal who was charged with contempt of court has been sentenced to a day in jail.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke]

William Lalik (LAH-lick) was a character witness earlier this week in Roanoke Circuit Court.
But he caused a mistrial when he left the courthouse during a break in his testimony.
Yesterday, he told the judge he had a job interview in Blacksburg, and did not believe he was under court order to stay because he had not been subpoenaed.
(///////SOT////////)
[SOT 16:51:20]
[IN Q=I think that his testimony]
((I THINK THAT HIS TESTIMONY TODAY, THAT HE DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE COURT'S WORDS AS AN ORDER TO STAY AROUND WAS RIDICULOUS. AND I THINK THE COURT COULD SEE CLEARLY THROUGH THAT.))
[SUPER=01-Alice Ekirch/Asst. Commonwealth's Attorney;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=see clearly through that.]
(-------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[Graphic=Hold]

Judge Pat Doherty fined Lalik nine hundred dollars, the amount of money paid to the jurors who were called to court that day.
He also ordered Lalik to serve 24 hours in jail.
Lalick declined comment this afternoon as he left the courthouse.

[S-Amazement-Square]

It may be State Farm's slogan, but First Colony Life Insurance likes to consider itself a good neighbor too.

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]

G- E Financial Assurance.. the company that owns First Colony.. made a large donation to one of its downtown Lynchburg neighbors yesterday.
G- E presented the Amazement Square children's museum with a check for 250- thousand dollars to help fund educational programs.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 14:16:32]
[IN Q=It certainly will]
((MORT SAJADIAN/MUSEUM DIRECTOR: IT CERTAINLY WILL ENABLE US TO GET THE MESSAGE OF THIS MUSEUM AND OUR ACTIVITIES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND TO THE GREATER LYNCHBURG COMMUNITY AND IT WILL HOPEFULLY MAKE A GREAT DIFFERENCE FOR A GREATER COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF ITS OUTREACH PERSPECTIVE.))
[SUPER=01-Mort Sajadian/Amazement Square Museum Dir.]
[RUNS=18]
[OUT Q=outreach perspective.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

Amazement Square will be located in newly- renovated, 150- year- old riverfront building.
It's scheduled to open next summer.
(------------)

[Tease2]
[SOFT MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]

Still ahead on News-7 at Noon, much of the nation continues to bake--
(-----------------)
[VO-NAT ]

and dry up as drought emergencies are decalred in more states.
(-----------------)
[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #2]

[Heat-wave]

Like Roanoke, other parts of the country are facing a water crisis, in addition to scorching temperatures.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[4:25:00]
In fact the entire state of Maryland has declared a drought emergency.
Water supplies lowered to emergency levels forcing the governor to call for conservation.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
((GOV. PARRIS GLENDENING/MARYLAND - THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE THAT SUCH AN ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN.))
[SUPER=01-Gov. Parris Glendening/(D) Maryland;]
[RUNS=:07]
[OUT Q=has been taken.]
(-------------)
[vo-nat]
And the hot, dry weather is expected to continue as the heat-wave death toll continues to climb.
The heat is now blamed in more than 70 deaths in the last eleven days.
[SUPER=03-Hoboken, NJ;]

Meantime utility companies are working overdrive to supply the demand, some not always cutting it.
One New Jersey Hospital was left with just one generator yesterday with only enough juice for the most critical patients.
[SUPER=03-Omaha, NE;]

And how's this for hot, it was 111 in South Dakota, yesterday, topping a record of 109 set in 1933.
(------------)